Etisalat rolls out 3.5G wireless broadband router

UAE telco Etisalat has unveiled a new broadband router that 3.5G USIM card holders can use to give up to 32 friends wireless net access.

Launched in response to what Etisalat claims is growing demand for mobile broadband internet services across the Emirates, the router IS available for AED 999 at Etisalat Business Centres and other outlets across the UAE.

This product allows up to 32 people to connect to the internet simultaneously over a wireless network, when it is plugged into a computer's USB port and a 3.5G subscribed USIM card slotted inside the router.

Additional users can also be added by the switch's dual functioning as a switch or hub for non-WiFi-ready computers.

According to the telco, the router is able to offer users net access speeds of up to 7.2Mbps (megabits per second) - a real-world download speed of almost one megabyte per second - in more than 98 per cent of the populated areas of the UAE.

"Broadband everywhere is the future for internet services and through products such as the router, we are bringing this future to reality in the UAE," commented Essa Al Haddad, Etisalat's chief marketing officer.

Etisalat is providing a number of packages to support the new service, Al Haddad added, including a pay-as-you-use option for customers whose usage varies from month to month.